Every year around Mother’s Day, Mike and Kathy take their hiking club out to Henry Coe State Park, where wildflowers tend to still be in bloom and the weather’s pleasant enough that the park’s hills can be survived without keeping a rescue helicopter on call.

Saturday was just about perfect for such a venture — cool breezes coming in from the coast, blue skies to the horizon, colorful blooms. The hills were still the hills, but we took one of the less-painful routes and did fine.

OK, pictures:

I saw Old Glory flapping in the breeze at the Park Headquarters and dashed over to take a pic. (Suddenly I’m reminded of a bumper sticker I saw the other day “These colors Don’t Run THE WORLD” … only in Calif.)

On the drive to the park, Mike told me, “pictures need people in them!”

Dave gets in one more hike before heading back to Iowa.

Kathy, deep in thought at the junction to the trail heading to Frog Lake, where we’re going to do lunch.

Ducking through a tangle of snags along the way.

Some sun-behind-the-tree action.

An admirable snag.

Yet more light-behind-the-branches action.

Owl’s clover, which has a couple little yellow specks in a field of purple that make the flower look vaguely owl-like.

Another snag frames the action along the trail to Frog Lake.

After breaking for lunch, Mike and Kathy do a tick check.

The sky never gets this blue in the summertime around Silicon Valley — you have to get out in the country, away from civilization.

A mariposa lily, looking gorgeous as usual.

So, those are the highlights. I have a five-day weekend coming up starting Thursday, so I should have some interesting pictures by a week from now.